The Dead Exchange
by The-Oncoming-Winter
Summary: Eralyn was on her own from the beginning, careful to stay alive, but she slipped up. Captured and prodded for information what happens when she is enveloped by the warmth of a kind group. Will she stay? Will she find what she is looking for? Her path crossed with that of Daryl Dixon a hunter for the group, he's kind if not a little awkward. Daryl Dixon X OC maybe? (swearing)
1. Chapter 1

Hello, I'm Winter this will be the very first fan fiction I have published for the audience, I have been trying to capture the nature of the characters properly as well as feeding my own fluff needs.

Sorry

~Winter.

The Whip.

Eralyn was only conscious of the way her skin tingled and the way her arms ached from holding up her body, it wasn't a gentle sexy spark that she had read about in fan fiction and adult books, it was a numbing pickle that came to be as hot blood trickled down her back, over her bare rear and along her the backs of her legs. Dripping the short distance between her toes and the concrete floor.

It hadn't started as a tingle it had started as a deep burn that sprouted and bloomed into unbearable pain as the knotted wires throttled her bare body, Eliciting screams which were muffled by her gag, There was two types of whippings she had the misfortune of getting acquainted too, the first was weaker and erratic which she was thankful for in comparison to the second the rhythm of the beatings kept her on the edge of asphyxiation because each harsh strike was accompanied by body spasms which prevented her getting her breath, this lead to blackouts from which the whipping revived her. At this stage the pain of the whipping become secondary to the lack of oxygen and her assaulter would change his torture method but never the questions which her truthful answers where not good enough.

Where is your group?

I don't have one.

How many are there?

It's just me.

How many men?

None.

How much food?

All that was in my bag is it.

She welcomed the burning smell and unbearable heat in comparison to the whip. She hadn't drank or eaten in days and was relieved when her body and mind slipped into a pain induced sleep, she only hoped death would relieve her.

In one of her semi-conscious post whipping periods she heard strange noises from around her, gunshot, screaming…muffled groaning. Smells mingled in her nostrils Gunpowder, fresh blood, rotting meat and Leather but of course she couldn't see and she couldn't speak.

When her arms where relieved of the weight her body put on them, it was almost as painful as her raw back which rubbed against rough cloth, gasoline and dust swirled around her senses and she reached out to hold the darkness that was coming close to her chest, hoping ,wishing. She thought her wish had come true when she was slowly awoken by a soft yet gravely purr, her eyes opened slightly to reveal the ceiling of a car and a young man's face which stared down at her from under his baseball cap.

"Rick, she's awake," He frantically called.

"Miss …miss you're going to be okay…we're going to get you some help…" His voice drifted off as she lost consciousness yet again, and dreamed of pristine snow.

….

Daryl awoke rather suddenly when Glenn unzipped his tent and walked in, he looked tired and gaunt.

"Your turn," he whispered before leaving.

Daryl pulled on his shirt lazily and made his way to the RV climbing the blood speckled stairs as he walked in towards the bedroom.

The girl had been brought in two days prior by Rick and Glenn, they had found her in the midst of another group of survivors and it was lucky they had. The men had strung her up and lashed her with a handmade whip, branded, beat and cut her. It was obvious her punishment had been brought on by boredom and inhumane captors.

Daryl was rostered on for the third night watch to make sure she pulled through, and to make sure she didn't bust something open again. He hadn't personally seen the woman before although her appearance was a very popular topic, almost as talked about as her wounds.

When he sat down by her bed, the only distinguishable feature was her hair, curly golden-brown it hid her face and disappeared under the blankets in a soft silky tuft of fluff.

The first few hours where uneventful and he had nearly dozed off when she stirred. Her pale harrowed face came into view when she rolled onto her side, her pink lips parted in a natural pout, closed eyelids framed in thick lashes that fluttered when her blue eyes opened a sliver, and he could help think her pretty.

He watched her calmly as she woke her body twitched and shifted as she tried to sit up into as comfortable a position as her injured body could allow,she stared at him wide eyed and confused leaning away as he moved to sit on her bed.

"Here, drink" he said quietly,offering his canteen to her.

She reached out from under the blankets with bruised and bloody fingers that shook when they wrapped around the weight of the silver container, she drank deeply her covers slipping as she finished it revealing the top of her bandaged chest and burnt shoulders.

The woman handed the water bottle to him coughing slightly as the last little bit went down wrong, Daryl patted her back gently being careful to avoid the bandaged area on her spine,and he could feel her slight fever of her skin through his fingertips.

"Thank you," she breathed heavily her lightly freckled cheeks where a little red as she looked around.

"How're you feelin?" Daryl asked placing the bottle on the ground,he didn't think she was in any danger so he didn't need to wake anyone.

She nodded slowly "Yeah I'm feeling terrible,"there was definitely an accent that accompanied her croaky voice, however he couldn't place it

"I guess that's to be expected, got yerself pretty banged up," He mused watching the way her brow furrowed.

"Yeah I guess I did," she whispered as her eyes watered slightly.

Daryl looked away as she sniffled, the young woman didn't need an audience and he wasn't going to stare or judge. He could feel her shaken breaths as she calmed down, her sniffing stopped and she was again as relaxed as possible.

"So..um..where am I?" she whispered, feeling a little put off by the way he sat cross-legged on her bed seemingly unaware of the implications, or maybe he knew and wanted to make her squirm.

"we're just off of Highway 93" he replied leaning against the wall and looking towards his boots, which lead her to believe he was not aware.

She looked to be in need of another dose of morphine, her face was contorted slightly in a frown as pain slowly sunk in from all around her body, and curiously she pulled the blankets back to look at her bandaged legs. Her Left hand trailed over the less painful mounds of healing flesh and she held in a sob at her mutilated body, Daryl watched on quietly admiring Dale's handy work, her skin was red where the blue thread held it together, and it hadn't effected the way her body looked too drastically, Daryl suddenly felt too warm staring at her form and quickly looked the other way before he grabbed the first aid kit from the bed side table and opened it.

Among the odds and ends he found a clean syringe a half used bottle of painkillers and a small schedule and watch. The schedule was last entered in by Andrea. –Gave girl painkiller at 9 at night give again at 3:00- checking the watch he noticed it was only one am and the girl needed to wait another two hours.

He looked at her and smiled apathetically. "Have to wait a little while before I dope you up again, think you can manage"

She nodded with a frown. " I think I can," she pushed the words past her clenched teeth and when he saw the way her knuckles turned white when she balled the blankets in her fists , he realised that she would need help doing so.

"So freckle what's your name?" He asked trying to distract her from the no doubt unbearable pain.

"Eralyn," she mumbled obviously offended by the new nickname.

"Daryl,"

"It's nice to meet you," she nodded trying to settle.

"Why don't I find something for us to do while we wait," he said as he hopped off the bed and went to find some of the books from Dale's collection, walking back over a short time later with a Stephan king novel and Jean Auel's valley of horses. Eralyn looked at him curiously before reaching out for the valley of horses.

"Life's scary enough, I think," she explained, opening the page and pouting remembering her problem, She gasped in surprise when he suddenly hopped onto the mattress snatched the book from her hands and began reading aloud.

"She was dead, what did it matter if icy needles of frozen rain flayed her skin raw..."

Eralyn was ashamed to say she thought his reading skills were wonderful, ashamed that she thought they would have been poorly, his American accent was gravely and his voice was captivating as he read, allowing for inflection and emotion of the story to flow through him. She looked at him and saw a redneck, she closed her eyes and heard a storyteller, he looked like he could inflict some serious damage but he instead sat in her bed and read to her.

She watched and listened in her upright position unable to move for fear of pain, but soon the effort it took to hold herself upright became too exhausting and as tried to shuffle herself into a more comfortable pose, Daryl being mindful of her back grabbed her pillow to help, The girl took it thankfully and placed it against his arm to make for a slow incline upward, He stared at her a little awkwardly as she lay comfortably against him, her eyes had closed and she looked almost serene before a wave of pain made her face scrunch up, He looked away from her suddenly and continued reading as he pulled her over slightly surprising himself. She felt safer than she had in a long time, and every now and then she'd ask a little question about the camp she found herself in never once opening her eyes.

When three o'clock rolled around, she was dozing against Daryl's chest and he thought it best not to drug her until she had finished sleeping so as to conserve resources. Every now and again her face would screw up as her dreaming turned sour but a little nudge fixed that. He felt a little uncomfortable having such a beautiful girl using him as a pillow, but felt even more awkward that he didn't mind, Daryl was amazed and confused that she had initiated the contact and spent a little time wondering why.

He had marked the page she had fallen fully asleep on and was a good way through reading the Stephan king novel by the time Rick, Dale and Shane walked in to change Eralyn's Bandages as the sun was settling in its morning position.

When the three spotted the way the girl was seated against Daryl they obviously had questions, but the one that got him most in trouble was.

"Why didn't you give her the pain killer?"

This came from Shane when he checked the First aid kits schedule. Daryl explained that she had woken up and fallen asleep without it however great the girl's pain she didn't need the drug to function.

"She woke up?" Rick looked down at the smaller being before sitting "Well that's a good sign,"

"Yeah, She was dehydrated so I gave her water but she hasn't eaten," He said calmly.

"That might be best we need to clean out her back and chest and it could be painful," Shane stated.

"Don't want her pain retching?" Daryl asked.

"In her state it could kill her," Dale whispered.

"Did you get her name?" Rick asked reaching out to touch her hand.

"Eralyn," Daryl replied

"You should wake her up Daryl, it looks like she trusts you." Dale mentioned pointing out the way she was sleeping, already soaking towels to mop up blood and disinfectant.

Daryl nodded and nudged her slowly waiting for her to wake up, he said her name a few times to rouse her, and when she did stir there was a little sigh of relief from around the room. She groaned unhappily as she sat up with the help of Rick and Daryl.

"Morning," she mumbled cautiously rubbing sleep from her eye.

"Good morning Eralyn," Dale smiled patting the girl's hands.

"I'm not going to like what's about to happen am I?" she whispered Daryl chuckled at her perceptive comment as he shook his head.

"Not even a little,"

"We have to clean out your wounds to stop infection," Shane explained with an apologetic face.

"Clean out?" The girl seemed to shrink at the idea of the pain that was coming her way.

"Yeah we're going to take off the bandages put on some disinfectant and then put clean bandages on," Dale assured the girl gently.

"Sounds harmless," she whispered, clutching Daryl's wrist tightly, He didn't protest she was about to go through something excruciating so he would be the moral support she needed, he found it amusing however that she sought comfort from the person who appeared the most brutal and not the old man or the father figure.

The bandages that held the gauze securely onto her chest and back came off first, and were then placed into an empty bucket for cleaning it was clear she was uncomfortable when her soft breasts where suddenly on display, and Daryl looked away bashful of her exposure as she held his wrist in a vice like grip that slowly got tighter as she experienced the increase in pain that accompanied the removal of her chest gauzes which stuck to her open wounds and needed to be gently tugged off. They covered her collar bone, lower ribcage and stomach, each looked as painful as the last.

The disinfectant stung but she seemed to be forcing herself to keep an expressionless face, as Shane dabbed her injuries. Her body stilled to stone as they moved onto her back and the wall she had built up to block out her pain shattered and fell, At first she grunted, or gasped when the yellow ointment touched the edges of her gaping wound, but after a few minutes she was crouched over and howling every dab burned and felt like the skin was being ripped off all over again.

Rick left to calm the others who gathered outside the RV mostly his son and wife who were worried for her safety, Lori was secretly worried that Shane was directing his anger for her onto the small woman inside, and maybe he was.

Daryl glared at Dale and Shane, this was torture, he got her to scream into the pillow and that muffled her pained voice somewhat to help keep the walkers unaware of the camp. When the towel which was over laden with ointment brushed over the centre of her deepest gouge her body jerked and she fell suddenly silent, her grip loosened immediately and Daryl was a little worried she had died. Shane checked the girls pulse and then continued to work, there wasn't enough solid skin over the girl's spine to patch her up with stitches so disinfectant and bandages had to do.

When they finished they dressed her wounds again and doped her up, before leaving the vehicle.

"Eralyn will most likely sleep until tonight, just wake her up at dinner so she gets fed today," Shane advised Rick as he and Dale exited the RV.

Carl was the first to enter the room he looked at the girls face and sat next to Daryl who had taken the bedside seat.

"She going to be alright?" he asked

"Yeah she's tough," Daryl responded and he truly believed she was.

Carl brushed the hair out of the woman's face and smiled down at her with a childish innocence.

"She's beautiful,"

Daryl gazed at her face and had to admit she was, he looked away mumbling "yeah she's cute, I guess, "before leaving to go take a nap.


	2. Rabbit or Squirel ?

There was a sharp gasp from Lori as they sat around the fire that night, she was staring at the RV's open door and everyone turned to watch in surprise as Eralyn stumbled down the stairs in the blanket from the bed, her exposed skin gleamed ghostly pale against the firelight.

"Do you mind if I have some of that," she smiled exhaustedly, tripping up a little as the mere act of walking tired her weak form.

T'dog reached out to her from where he sat his big hands easily helping guide her to sit down between himself and Glenn both greeted her happily and she responded with a shy. 'hello'.

A smile crept over her pretty features when Carl and Sophia came to sit with her a portion of food already in hand, it had been a while since she had seen children so healthy and it made her heart ache when she thought of her family.

"Thank you," she whispered looking down at the stewed meat reaching out to pat Carls head gently. Sophia's hands snatched out grabbing Eralyn's right arm as children where want to do, The little girls fingers ran across the tattoo that snaked up her arm in white and red ink the flowers and vines made an elaborate trail that pointed towards her shoulder.

"These are pretty," Sophia trilled as Eralyn ate a spoonful of her dinner. She was fairly certain it was some kind of rodent from the taste Rabbit maybe.

"The one on my back is prettier, big wings with a mandala in the middle to stop them from flying away," Eralyn smiled making fluttering hand motions before she continued to eat, Sophia and Carl instantly crawled behind her and tugged the rough blanket a little to look at the tops of her deep black Celtic wings, the rest was covered in gauze and their disappointment was plastered over their faces. Carl reached out to touched them absentmindedly causing her to wince and gasp in pain almost dropping her food and sloshing a great deal onto the ground.

"Carl!" Shane growled staring at Eralyn's pained face before Rick could intervene.

"No it's alright," she looked back at the children with a smile "I'm still a little tender from my.…encounter with the cat," she slowly explained trying not to frighten them, Glenn took her bowl and poured half his remaining stew into it, smiling when she tried to protest.

"you need it more,"

"Are you a fairy?" Sophia asked childishly still focused on the woman's tattoo's and Eralyn couldn't help stifling her giggle as she shook her head.

"She's an angel," Carol suddenly proclaimed to her daughter as Sophia returned to sit in her lap, the older woman looked upon Eralyn and saw a strong ally, but also a lonesome girl whom she wanted to care for but didn't know how.

Eralyn blushed deeply before returning to her stew, she listened as the people around her spoke and joked with one another however she felt a tension between some of them. It was like being the guest at a family dinner she felt a little awkward but was relieved to have been taken away from her previous situation, and even more so to have been rescued by people so kind.

"You enjoying the squirrels I caught_, Angel_" Daryl smirked using her new nickname with a hint of disgruntled teasing. There was a moment when he thought she would react in disgust but she just nodded.

"It could go for some pepper, Darl" She replied using an endearing play on his name to insult him.

A few people laughed at her statement, T'dog patted her shoulder as he chuckled and she found herself smiling again.

There was a lot of happy banter after that which she found herself included in, and she learned people's names and connections Carl was Rick and Lori's son, Shane was Rick's friend, Carol was Sophia's mum, Dale and Andrea where close friends, T'dog and Glenn were friends and Jacqui seemed close to T'dog . Daryl was portrayed to be just like her, a straggler who'd been enveloped by Rick's fathering instinct and command. There was a silent conversation, a sort of unspoken agreement that made it clear she was welcome, even expected to stay, and as the night rolled on she thought she would give it a go.

"So what's your story?" Rick asked quietly after Sophia and Carl had been taken to bed by their mothers.

"My story," Eralyn thought for a moment and suddenly found herself very sad.

"I wasn't supposed to be here when all this happened," she whispered.

"I'm an exchange student from Norway for UNC…. I was doing an art and English major I wanted to be a writer. My family had come to stay for a holiday and to see how I was going but I was supposed to have flown home to see them, I wish I had. I'd gone to a party at my friend's house about half an hour's walk from my dorms and a full hour's walk from the hotel where my parents were staying," She looked away from Jacqui who was staring at her sympathetically.

"I should have stayed with them that night, When I woke up my friends where freaking out, All I had wanted was to sleep off my hangover, But… I had to kill my best friend's boyfriend, He'd turned first, got bit by one of those things when he'd gone to put out the trash is my guess, but before I could he attacked another friend and she died. I had to get to my parents after that I didn't know why I needed to at the time but I guess that's what happens when something so farfetched and frightening happens to you, The broadcast went out before I could leave and I had to wait until everyone was busy before I slipped out.

The streets where already full of them it had been so sudden in Carolina, I managed to get to the hotel after a day of side streets and surviving those things. But when I got there…..My family was gone. I waited two days until one of the people who had been next door came in already infected she turned on the floor in front of me and I had to kill her too." Eralyn shuddered at the memory of the woman's chest rattling as came back to life.

" I left a note saying I'd wait in my dorm room, and I did…for a week I waited with hope each morning getting up thinking They'll be here today, I'll see them Today, starving myself as I waited" Tears had begun to run down her face but she waded through them.

"I didn't wait any longer than the second week, I went back to the hotel and didn't find anything to suggest where they were but I took the food from the minibar and the fridge, I broke into the gun shop which had already been looted, found a little pistol and six rounds, I broke into the re-enactment store a block away, got myself a good sword. It was hard to use blunt but after I'd figured how to use the whetstone it became easier to swing."

"I've been on my own since then, I know my Family is alive…I just don't know where," she finished and began stoking the low fire with a burning branch as if she could burn her feelings away with it. Andrea lent over placed her hand on Eralyn's and squeezed it tightly, it was reassuring to have them all there. But it also made her nervous.

"You'll find them," She smiled.

Shane and Rick explained to her their plan to find the centre of disease control which sounded hopeful for a cure or even sanctuary but Shane didn't seem happy about it, He then none too gently told her that she was the reason they had to wait, which ticked her off royally.

"Your wounds are just too great to move you in the RV at the moment," He muttered glaring at her calmly but clearly blaming her for the danger they were in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get myself captured by a torturous psychopath, hell I would have put up more of a fight if I knew you had a date." She growled clenching the blankets around her shoulders aggressively.

"so we can just wait a week, once she's travel ready we can get a Doc at the CDC to look her over, Not a big deal" Daryl butt in.

"We don't have to wait," She stood up still wrapped in the blanket masking a wince o fpain as an angry scowl. "The second I find some clothes I'm good for traveling, I'm good to go,"

She regretted those words the next morning as Carol helped her into the clothing that the group had donated. The older woman tsked as she gently pulled Eralyn's arms through the old jacket Dale had lent her, hands on hips as she looked the girl over with a frown.

"You have such a nice figure, these loose clothes make you look chunky," She sighed which made Eralyn laugh and that in turn made her grunt unhappily as pain sparked through her spine.

"Yeah, somehow I think in this scenario I'm more worried about being naked than picking up," she smiled at Carol, who had begun pulling her long thick curls into a ponytail.

"It's just a shame is all, Pretty girl like you,"

"Don't worry Carol, with your loving care I'll be beating men off with sticks, living and dead," She joked which made the woman laugh, Eralyn smiled turning around to face the short haired woman a slight blush gracing her features as she wrapped her arms as best she could around Carol's shoulders in a hug.

"I'm really thankful for your help," she whispered as Carol hugged her back, Eralyn was a little wider than her and evidently a lot stronger, but she was shorter than the older woman by a few inches which was amusing to say the least given she had such a big personality.

There was a knock and the two women separated comfortably as Carol opened the door.

"Hello Daryl," She said casually.

"hi…So Eralyn's going to be riding with me." He stated coolly. "She ready?"

"As I'll ever be chief," She smiled adjusting her shirt slightly before walking past Carol and making the motions of swatting Daryl with a stick once his back was turned as a joke, mouthing –what did I tell you- with a cheeky wink happy to see her smile broaden. The older woman once again laughed and was thankful of Eralyn and her high spirits.

/

Tada chapter two done and dusted.

Eralyn and her naughty jokes just might be right, But for now I think she is just trying to fit in.

Questions are always welcome. If you can't here I have a deviant art where I will be posting pictures and all future naughty chapters ;)

Lyn-winter is my account name, bring it on.


	3. Sturgeon and Wine

"Rabbit sausages?" Daryl asked keeping his eyes on the road as he and Eralyn played a game of 'What weird things have you eaten' to pass the time and to see if they could gross each other out, so far he was winning and she seemed to be relaxing.

"Yes, pretty good but Rabbit is a bit gamy for my taste," she shrugged looking at the map as they drove. "Crow pie?"

"No, what's that like?" Daryl queried, looking at the position of the sun.

It would be dark in a few hours they could have driven into the night if the world was the way it had once been, but before they left they had marked out a good campsite, and if that failed the cars where as safe as anything to sleep in.

"It's actually pretty good, tastes like a cross between chicken and venison, My grandmother used to make it if the scare crow wasn't doing it's job," She smiled causing him to chuckle darkly.

"Your grandmother made a lot of scary dishes," He comment. "She must have been a tough bird,"

"Oh Yeah, totally crazy, but one tough old lady," She replied following the road they were taking with her finger as she inwardly prayed the old woman was alright.

"What about Alligator gizzard stew?" He smirked resting his arm on the head of the seat as he relaxed.

"Oh ew no," They both laughed before Eralyn shifted uncomfortably.

"How's your back?" He asked trying to hide his concern with his normal disgruntled aura.

"Feels like I've been whipped for three consecutive weeks, Oh wait." She had a very dark sense of humour sometimes, which was entertaining because she mainly picked on herself or Him, He didn't mind he could take it and that was probably why she did it.

Her small index finger pointed out the window to a dirt track that lead into the trees she checked the map three or four times as they passed following it with her hand to make sure.

"That was it," She stated re-adjusting herself on the seat.

"I guess we're making good time?" Daryl said shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah but what if the Cdc is totally overrun, We'll be putting ourselves in a bad spot," She muttered rubbing her wrists anxiously.

"Hey, We're gonna be fine, Rick's a smart man I'm sure he thought this through," Daryl reassured her. "Now have you tried sturgeon?"

"That's a common fish I don't think it counts,"

"Are you kidding me? of course it does It's disgusting, I mean down right foul," He chuckled reaching out quickly to look at the map, the action made Eralyn flinch away and her hand shot for her knife her body pressed against the door,Daryl was surprised to see her react so adversely her eyes swam with a fear he recognised, one that accompanied being repetitively abused and beaten a look that came with a distrust for people.

Her friendly face was masked in a firm scowl that was so contrary to her normal self, it didn't suit her soft face. Daryl looked back to the road allowing her to uncoil. Being on her own for so long shouldering the stress of the new world order without anyone to back her up was bad enough, but being captured by the first people she came across and then tortured and broken in the way she had been was no doubt why she was so nervous, He was ashamed that her masked fear hadn't been apparent to him earlier.

"Hey now, I just want the map," He said in a calm tone.

She handed it to him quickly before staring out the window,her hand didn't leave the dagger for some time and he thought he caught the glimpse of tears in the reflection of her window. The game was obviously over and there was an elongated silence as they drove down the dead motorway.

"I would never beat you," he whispered his voice clogged with emotion. "Ever,"

Her feet curled up onto the seat and she nodded with a small sniffle.

"I..I know," she stammered, watching the city inch closer and closer, not suspecting for a moment how unprepared they all were for what was in store.

...

Later that evening she was sat as comfortably as humanely possible on the cold medical table provided by the Cdc's infirmary. She smiled goofily at Carol and Lori, Rick had taken Carl and Sophia for a time while the two older women helped Jenner keep Eralyn calm while he looked her back over, they'd managed to dope her into blissful numbness while he stitched what he could of her broken skin together but no matter how good a job he would have done she would never be the same.

"How are you feeling honey?" Carol smiled touching her knee softly, the two had grown rather close in the small amount of time Eralyn had been with them.

"Floaty...and guilty," Eralyn admitted as she patted the older woman's hand as comfortingly as she could.

"Why guilty?" Lori asked watching the doctor work.

"I think I hurt Daryl's feelings in the car, He was being nice and I got all…..me-ish, and I don't want him to be mad "she mumbled studying her fingers as they intertwined with Carol's.

Carol stifled a giggle as the doctor finished patching the blondes back as best he could. When he gave her the all clear she hopped off the table a little too quickly because she stumbled towards the door and nearly fell, before being able to pull her shirt thanked him with a lopsided smile that seemed to have once belonged to her face and both women saw the person Eralyn once was, unafraid of the world, gentle, warm and even if the drugs had been the cause of her inability to feel the fear she'd become used to it was nice to see her so relaxed.

She'd been herded into the common area where everyone had already started dinner and was sat between T'dog and Dale they bantered comfortably, the atmosphere was a little loud because everyone was having wine but it was a nice change. Eralyn still feeling the effects of her local anaesthetic and morphine looked back to Dr Jenner.

"Is it okay if I have some too?" She asked softly.

He nodded at her in confirmation and she reached out for her glass, touching Daryl's pant leg as he walked past. He seemed pleasantly intoxicated and smiled at her as she pointed towards the bottle in his hand and then her empty vessel. He made a small show of pouring her glass for her and only a few caught the sweet gesture as he handed it back half filled with the red liquid and a flourishing movement of his hand.

There was a pleasant aroma of sweet fruits and dry red that permeated the room as they ate. Her back began to itch slightly as the drugs wore off, but the wine helped her forget the pain. She even managed to twirl around the room with T'dog, Glenn and Jacquie as Daryl watched on and barked in laughter at their dancing.

Eralyn even conned him into shuffling awkwardly with her for a few minutes to a drunken waltz. As he held her a little shyly she looked up at him with true remorse which made his chest tighten as he stared down at her.

"I'm sorry for today,"

"It's okay, I get it," he nodded, smirking as the music changed and everyone was again on the 'dancefloor'.

"I know you do," Her smile was thankful and caring before Glenn cut in and the two tripped over one another in their rendition of a prancing, jumpy foxtrot.

The night progressed easily due to the flow of liquid, Many of the 'Party' goers had retired after being informed of the hot water showers.

Eralyn and Daryl found themselves quite alone as they stumbled down the hall towards a room assigned for sleep, neither felt like washing: Eralyn didn't want to mess with her newly stitched back and Daryl just didn't feel the need to. They held each other up and giggled like school girls as they staggered into the room, similar to most of the others a couch,a camper bed and a mattress on the floor it also had a bookshelf that they both seemed eager to rummage through. Flopping onto the couch as they found something good to read.

Eralyn began almost instantly, however it was extremely difficult. Her light blue eyes scrutinized over the words as she slowly made sense of the story in her head. Daryl was doing much the same until the woman next to him shifted, he looked over in time to watch her loose hair fall away from her neck and shoulder, where newly healed slashes covered the pinkish skin, His fingers reached out without interference from his brain telling him to "not touch things he couldn't afford", as he stroked the delicate flesh. Her eyes snapped onto his in quiet surprise the blue orbs focusing on his and he smiled a little apologetically, not only for his unannounced touching but also for her misfortune of acquiring them.

"I knew him," she mused staring into Daryl's dark blue eyes.

"I found him on the outskirt of the town _they'd_ inhabited," by the way she said _'They'd'_ he knew she meant the men who had done this to her. Eralyn hadn't really expected to tell anyone but here she was sitting on a couch nestled next to a man she barely knew but felt a connection with unable to stop the words as they spilt out of her all the while his calloused hand never left her marked neck.

They'd gone to the same college, he was in a few of her classes and she had once considered him a friend, granted not a close friend but a friend none the less. When they'd spoken in the woods he made the settlement sound so peaceful, so rich in soul and in her tired, starving and frightened state she didn't second guess him.

When he walked her though the doors of the hotel she thought that safety was finally attainable, but after being hauled up to the second floor she realised how wrong she had been. The women looked beaten and weak, the men strong and menacing and there was evidence of previous victims all around the room.

She'd been knocked out shortly after stepping inside, and her body stripped and whipped until blood coated the floor like slick red varnish, hot knives cauterised the gashes they made in her soft legs and heated iron rods had branded her skin. This is how the group had broken the other's, the ones who stayed unable to leave for fear of being killed or worse punished.

She remembered little things of her ordeal, a woman feeding her from where she was strung up when the men went away.

The sound of the gun when they shot that woman and her child.

The feeling of asphyxiation through her screams as her body jolted with each crack of the whip.

When Eralyn finished laying her life at Daryl's feet he looked angry, his hands closed over hers and he pulled her into a gruff hug.

"I'm sorry," his voice tumbled past her ear and she realised how safe he made her feel, even when she was spooked.

"My father…he…he," Daryl cut off suddenly and Eralyns hands shot up to hold his face as she stared into him, Allies of damaged pasts. Daryl's remorse for her situation poured through their brief contact and her own pain for him flowed in the same way, she smiled at him after a little while.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down,"

"Nah, it's okay, I'm good," he stammered as she relaxed back on her side of the couch.

"Teach me how to ride the bike?" She smiled drunkenly he laughed at her in earnest and she smirked. "It was worth a shot,"

They continued to talk into the night about hunting, weapons, books and TV. There were a few distinct thoughts that rang clear by the time they dozed off, the first being Eragon was the worst book to movie conversion of all history , the second that sturgeon was horrible,that they were going to be great friends and that the wine had been good.

/

Hi Hi.

so yeah. Drunken fluffs of cuteness and side journeys.

YaY

Darylyn...?


	4. Bandage

Eralyn's freshly grazed fingers clung to the axe she'd used to help Daryl and Shane as they attempted to hack through the massive metal doors out of the Cdc's underground. She had stayed close to Carol and Sophia as they had dashed through the halls trying to find a way out, subconsciously putting their lives before her own. It was pure luck that the grey haired woman had kept the grenade they now depended ducked for cover behind an upturned turned table and the stairs as Rick pulled the pin hovering over the two like an extra shield.

The grenades earth shuddering explosion coupled with the satisfying shattering of glass alerted all of the need and opportunity to get out.

Eralyn shouldered one of the packs as she pulled Carol and Sophia towards the empty window, helping the small child out after her mother before hopping down herself. The two ran ahead of Eralyn as she readjusted the heavy back pack her body shuddering to a halt when she felt a stitch snap sharply which was followed by its razor brothers ripping her flesh open again, The pain caused her to double over the increase in her now haggard breath caused her to choke on her own saliva for a second as she tried crawling on hands and knees closer to safety while her blood dribbled over her skin, for a few seconds she thought this would be how it ended.

Suddenly Daryl's hands pulled her up and along. He'd seen her go down and for a few seconds it looked like she had just tripped and would get up, But her body was shuddering and time was ticking ,He'd wrenched open his door and vaulted over pulling her pack onto his shoulder. He was practically carrying her along to the safety of his truck which wasn't hard given how small she was when the timer ended. Their bodies were flung against the rusty pickup as the Explosion went off, Daryl landed almost on top of her his arm pressing her down against the trucks side as the shockwave passed. Blood seeped through the back of her shirt as everyone started to drive away, the sound would no doubt attract every Walker for miles and they needed to be far away when those bastards showed up.

Her head was ringing and the blood was already staining a large patch of her borrowed overcoat when he noticed,his face paled slightly before his brain kicked into survival mode.

"fuck," Daryl growled opening his door and flinging their packs into the opposing door before pulling the woman into the cab, sitting her in his lap with her legs tilted over one side so she didn't interfere with his driving. He used his chest and stomach to apply pressure to her reopened wound like a temporary compression bandage. Luckily Eralyn was on the short side so when sat like this he could see over the top of her head quiet clearly. His hand clutched her shoulder as he used his arm to press her against him for a better seel, He could feel the sticky hot liquid pooling on his shirt as they sped up to catch the others.

He'd taken a liking to the woman, she was always fun and caring when it came to Carl and Sophia, Didn't take shit from Shane, she skinned the game he brought back to the camp decently, and was tough as nails but she was also kind and gentle, not to mention just as damaged as he was. Her injuries caused her to collapse now and again from exertion but she just kept pushing. On one occasion he'd heard her whisper none too quietly –cunt up- to herself before moving forward which was not doubt a female rendition of –sack up-.

"C'mon Er'yn, You gotta talk to me," He growled in her ear as she held tightly to the seat.

"I'm okay, it's okay, keep going," She breath heavily, She wasn't loosing too much blood but it was enough to make him uncomfortable.

"You best hope you can wash this out of my shirt," He grumbled using the seatbelt to buckle her against him as his hand shot to their bags.

"I will," She whispered, leaning her head back against his shoulder so he could see the road better.

"Next time I say we wait a week, We're waitin a Week," He growled his stubble ticked the side of her throat as he talked, His fingers grasped what he was looking for Thankfully Eralyn's backpack had extra bandages in it.

"Kay," She was feeling weaker and weaker the further they drove and soon enough Daryl's words had started to float in front and around her, but she got the general idea as he unbuckled the seatbelt and handed her the cloth end.

She held the front of the bandage at her collar bone as he wound it underneath her left armpit and over her shoulder blades before his hand wrapped around her side so she could tie it off and hand the cloth back to him, it didn't take too long for him to have her tightly bandaged from shoulder tip to the small of her waist all the while keeping an eye on the road as he drove,one handed. The emergency first aid looked a little funny over the top of her clothes but he couldn't have asked her to get naked in the truck, or at all for that matter even the thought made him awkwardly uneasy.

"What you study in highschool?" He stammered, it was clear he was trying to keep her conscious at least until the bleeding stopped.

"Normal, Stuff, Biolgee, English, Chimstree," Her accent was thicker as she felt sicker, and lighter.

She was quiet for a long time and she could feel Daryl becoming more and more worried and fidgety but the bleeding stopped and all that was left was her pounding headache from where she'd hit the truck, maybe there was a ding in the door? The thought amused her to no end.

"I'm feeling okay now," Eralyn whispered, after a long amount of silence.

He nodded quietly, releasing the grip he had on her shoulder and lifting his arm so she could scoot out of his lap without interrupting his driving as best she could and sit next to him on the stained seat, her blood coagulated in deep red clumps over his filthy shirt and she felt embarrassed for having bled on him in such a way.

"Sorry," She mumbled looking at the drying blood smeared against his skin.

"You owe me Crow pie," he stated suddenly, pulling the blanket out from behind the seat and handing it to her.

"Crow pie?" she whispered in confusion taking the thin cloth and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"That's the price for bleeding in my truck, Crow pie,"

"Mmkay," she mumbled laying against his thigh and closing her eyes with a goofy smile, her mind whirred as she was tempted to tease him about there not being pastry anymore but she didn't have the energy to keep her eyes open let alone joke around. Daryl's spine straightened in surprise as she lay against his leg he was a little disgruntled by the contact but didn't disturb her, although he would never admit it and swear to god he wasn't happy with her violation of his personal space he liked the way her golden curls pooled around his leg, and the warmth he felt when she trusted him with her sleeping body when she was at her most venerable and was better than any amount of whisky.

She trusted him.

...

Daryl pulled the arrow out of the rabbit that had fortunately crossed his path, he tied it to the string of his previous catches by the head. He looked at the meagre spoils of his hunting, three squirrels a rabbit and a duck he had tried to split a crow for Eralyn but the dastardly bird was just too quick. He didn't know why he wanted to reaffirm the joke of crow pie the idea of seeing her smiling or chortling over the bird just made him happy.

He heaved a sigh as he turned and made his way back to the spot they'd designated as camp some distance away. The walk back was fairly quick a little zigzagged and to avoid any followers but honestly who was out here, He checked the few rope traps he'd set up, only managing to have caught a large rhinoceros beetle which hissed at him in the strange way beetles did until he put it down and watched it crawl away into the undergrowth.

Daryl wound the rope around his hand before shoving it into his pants pocket and moved on. Eralyn's shirt found him before he saw her, the wet fabric hung from a tree not far from the temporary camp they had set up for the night. The cars where all parked in a tight circle making them easily accessible and turning them into a metal wall of sorts which he thought was a smart idea. He hopped over the bed on his truck and into the midst of an all out Shane vs Eralyn smack down, well it would have been a smack down if they weren't just staring at each other hatefully.

Glenn seemed to notice his arrival first and shuffled over awkwardly.

"What's goin on?" Daryl asked hiding his curiosity with a bored drawl.

"Shane tried to punch Eralyn out and she kicked him in the jewels," Glenn whispered back with a childish smile as the older man walked past.

He sat down a few meters away from her by the fire, the way Shane was favouring his junk made him chuckle. Even with nearly bleeding out today she'd managed to bruise Shane's 'Ego'. The little blonde heard his laughter and turned quickly to march over and sit with him, pulling out her pocket knife and skinning one of the squirrels she practically tore off him her face plastered in a frown but he wouldn't have known that because the woman kept her head down.

"was just gonna ask if you wanted to help," he smirked at her.

"you went hunting without me," She mumbled.

"You were asleep and hurt. By the way you're still cleaning my truck," He smiled leaning down to look at her face from underneath her fringe, his hand snaked out for a second before retracting inches from her lips the redness around her mouth wasn't as prominent as the split in her lip but Shane's handiwork did not go unnoticed.

"He hit you," Daryl growled as she pulled the skin off the darkest squirrel.

"I got him back," She smirked darkly "hopefully he wont procreate."

That earned her a chuckle as Daryl relaxed and then instructed her on how to skin a rabbit in less than twelve seconds and she showed him how to debone it the most efficient way. He told her about the hunt little noises he had heard, smells, sights. she seemed to have a fairly good comprehension of hunting and tracking, when he asked about it she shrugged saying her father had always wanted a boy and then nothing more on the subject. They switched to plants and ferns this made her eyes sparkle as she talked about her mother's naturopathy business. She talked about edible ferns and roots that made healing teas and after a while she looked to have completely forgotten about the horrible events of the day.

After everyone had eaten the stew which had been made from watered down can slop and meat bits, Eralyn brought in her clean shirt and over coat to put over the tight singlet Lori had given her. Rick and Shane where the only others awake apart from himself and Eralyn as they talked about the day ahead,Shane glared at Eralyn a little while longer but only for a short while after Rick went off to sleep in the car with his family before buggering off and then it was just the two of them.

"You tired?" Daryl asked having stifled a yawn.

"Yeah," Eralyn sounded exhausted.

"We can share the truck, it's not big, but it's safe," He said standing, offering her a hand.

It was pretty snug inside the cab of his Ute, The blankets from her bag kept them warm and it was much more peaceful than the night before when they were drunk and talkative.

"I'm sorry about Jacquie," she whispered from her crumpled up position.

"Thanks," He murmured stretching a little before he got comfortable.

The space was cramped but Daryl was used to it and from the way Eralyn had said she survived he would bet his life she was used to it too. Her head lulled to one side and he watch the softness of her face as she slept for a while before he himself found sleep.

...

Yay this chapter is up.

it took longer because my system is being super slow and I have to type so slow otherwise it ends up like this.

Darylt ook eralyns hand inh is own. sHe was tinyin comparison... look at that crap.


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